Picker for potato-planters.



C. H. GER-LING.

PIGKER FUR POTATO PLANTERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.20, 1909.

PatentedJune 14,1910.

CHARLES H. GERLING, OF EDWARDSVILLE,

s'rnis E FFIQ.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BERNHARDT ILLINOIS.

PICKER FOR, POTATO-PLANTERS.

Application filed September 20, 1909.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. GERLING, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Edwardsville, Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Pickers for Potato-Planters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved picker for potato planters, and hasfor its object to provide a picker having a small number of parts, whichparts are readily removable and interchangeable for purposes ofreplacement and repair.

In the drawingsl igure l is a side elevation of a series of pickers ofmy invention in place upon the circular disk whereby they are carried;the adjacent parts of the potato planter being indicated in section.Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the picker of my invention. Fig. 8 is arear elevation of the same. Fig. at is a longitudinal view showing themeeting portions of the jaws of the picker in section. Fig. 5 is a frontplan view of the front end of the jaws, showing them in engagement witha fragment of seed potato.

As shown in the drawings, the picker of my invention is carried by a bar6 whose top is provided with a yoke 7 having the parallel erforatedwalls 8 and 9, provided with a series of registering perforations 10.Between the walls 8 and 9 the picker-arms 11 and 12 are mounted, thesearms having inwardly projecting lugs 13-13 and 14; which fit into eachother and are adapted to be pivotally secured to each other and to theyoke 7 by a bolt 15 passing through the perforations 1010. At theirfront extremities the arms 11 and 12 are provided with toothed jaws 1616adapted to securely hold a fragment of seed potato; the arms 11 and 12being provided with the handles l717 at their rear ends, which handlesterminate inwardly with the parallel walls 1818 which are provided withinwardly project- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1910.

Serial No. 518,703.

ing lugs 19, which lugs 19 serve to hold the ends of the coil-spring 20in place. Upon their lower faces the arms 11 and 12 are cut away asindicated by the dotted lines 21 for the purposes of economy of materialand lightness.

At their inner ends the bars 6 are radially mounted upon the revolvingdisk 22, which is mounted within the hopper 23 in which is located aninclined shield 24 located on each side of the disk, feeding the seedpotatoes along its inclined bottom 24 to the pickers. The handles l7-1Tare pressed toward each other to open the picker for the reception ofthe seed potatoes, by means of parallel guides 25 at the bottom of theplanter, one of which guides is illustrated in Fig. 1.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tohave secured to me by the grant of Letters Patent, is:

l. The improved picker for potato planters comprising two oppositelymounted arms pivotally connected together; a yoke wherein said arms arepivotally and adjustably mounted; a coil-spring interposed between saidarms; and toothed aws formed at the front extremity of said arms,substantially as described.

2. The improved picker for potato planters comprising arms provided withtoothed jaws at their front extremities, handles at their rear ends, andintermediate perforated inwardly-projecting lugs; a yoke having parallelperforated walls wherein said lugs are received and pivotally andadjnstably mounted; and a coil-spring interposed between said jaws backof their points of pivotal support, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. GERLING.

Vitnesses:

J AMES L. HOPKINS, J OI-IN S'ronzn.

